The World Economic Forum announces new class of technology pioneers for 2006: MBA Polymers, Inc. selected

Richmond, CA— The World Economic Forum announced 36 Technology Pioneers for 2006. MBA Polymers, Inc. has been selected as one of these Technology Pioneers.

Technology Pioneers are companies that have been identified as developing and applying highly transformational and innovative technologies in the areas of energy, biotechnology and health, and information technology. This year’s class of companies has been selected because their work has potential long-term impact on business and society.

One of this year’s Technology Pioneers is MBA Polymers, Inc. with headquarters in Richmond, California. MBA Polymers is considered a leader in developing and commercializing groundbreaking technology to recycle complicated plastic waste streams such as those coming from end-of-life computers, electronics, appliances, automobiles and even toys.

MBA Polymers has perfected a completely automated high-tech process using over 30 individual unit operations. This process starts with completely mixed waste streams ranging in size from whole computer or car parts, etc. to shredded bits 10 mm in size and separates this mixture into ferrous metal, nonferrous metal and numerous types of plastics.

MBA sells the recovered plastics back to manufacturers of the same types of products. MBA has developed its technology and this business over the last twelve years with an investment of over $30 million.

MBA is expanding rapidly overseas, with two large state-of-the art plants opening within six months of one another: one in China and one in Europe.

MBA has received considerable recognition for developing such innovative technology and creating an exciting new business that combines strong financial returns with outstanding benefits to the world. Two examples of benefits:

•MBA can produce the plastics with 95% less energy than required to make the sample type and amount of plastics from petrochemicals and
•For every ton of virgin plastics that MBA replaces with its recycled plastics, between two and three tons of greenhouse gas CO2 are kept from entering the atmosphere.

In 2002, MBA won the 2002 Edison award for Innovation and was identified as one of America’s Most Innovative companies by Inc. magazine.